Destiny
by PurelyAwesome28
Summary: Hollyleaf runs into the tunnels, to get away from the Clan she's leaving behind and the terrible consequences of her actions. But is she doing what she thinks she is, really? Probably better than it sounds. Reviews would be appreciated.
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Warriors and the characters. They belong to the one and only... Erin Hunter! A great author, honestly.

I will be updating this as often as I can. That will be quite hard, because school's kind of in the way. Nevertheless, please review!

"No!" yowled Lionblaze and Jayfeather. Lionblaze wanted to rush into the tunnels and grab his sister by the scruff. To drag her out. To tell her that everything would be all right. But it wouldn't be, really. Everything had gone wrong. It was too late, there was no changing fate. The elusive tunnels near the WindClan border had collapsed, taking Hollyleaf with them. The golden tabby sniffed the remains, trying to determine what had happened to his sister in the depths. The tunnel entrance, now blocked, smelled of damp earth mixed with river water. There was no trace of scent to prove that Hollyleaf was still alive. Lionblaze, for some reason, remembered Heathertail and the WindClan kits. He wished that he could go back in time, where everyone he loved would be alive and Heathertail would be forgiven.

But there was no going back. Still no proof that Hollyleaf was breathing, nor anything that proved that she was gone from this world. The young warrior was lost in memories. His brother, Jayfeather, could do nothing to stop him. He, also, was struggling with his thoughts.

Hollyleaf had seen the disbelief in her father;s face, and heard his protests. She had glimpsed Nightcloud's fur bristling and the WindClan she-cat's son swearing eternal hatred. Her half brother, always grumpy and snappy, given another reason to hold a grudge. Plus Leafpool's honest confession, bittersweet and too repulsive for Hollyleaf's taste. Her brothers misunderstood Leafpool, and there was no reason they wouldn't misunderstand Hollyleaf as well. Half of her kin had turned away from her, and to Hollyleaf... her mother was not a cat who could be forgiven. There was nothing left to live for.

As she sprinted into the tunnels, possibly leaving the life she'd always known behind forever, the black she-cat found it hard to think clearly. Dark thoughts swirled around in her mind. Certain pictures flashed guiltily in her eyes. There was Ashfur, floating down the river, blood still dripping from the fatal wound on his neck. The surprised look on Sandstorm's face, Firestar's embarrasement, Brambleclaw's anger. Even Blackstar's gaze, amused yet hostile. The whole world was against her now.

The black she-cat's future looked grim. She wanted to run from her past, to hide from the consequences of her actions. The warrior code was destroyed. Her thoughts flashed back to her warrior ceremony. Every generation of warriors had promised to uphold the cold, even at the cost of their lives. Her own birth went against the code, just the opposite of that. What was Crowfeather thinking, she didn't know. And here was Hollyleaf, proclaimed a cold-blooded murderer, because she had killed in vain.

Her fellow warriors had deserted her, but her senses hadn't. The rushing river roared louder than ever. Pebbles crashed against the numerous rocks that seemed to be gathered around the tunnels like guards. Then Hollyleaf felt a drop of water on her head. What was that? Before she had time to escape, the shocking truth unfolded before her eyes. These were not just pebbles. The whole contents on the tunnel was crashing down... getting closer and closer to her.

Hollyleaf panicked. There had to be a way out! Death was worse than what any Clan thought of her! She couldn't die, just now, The young warrior searched everywhere, but all of the exits she knew of were blocked by debris. She forced herself to look harder, although her whole body was aching. To go farther, despite the fact that her paws were only leading her on because of her determination and stubborn refusal to stop. But the river was gushing, water lapping against her belly fur. It was rising higher and higher, flooding perhaps. There was nothing Hollyleaf could do anymore. Even worse, she had no place to go.

For Hollyleaf, there was no hope left. Nobody would care about what happened to her, a half-Clan cat... a forbidden kit. Her whole life was ruined and wasted, like being thrown into a Thunderpath, left to die. The she-cat closed her eyes, slowly. She hesitated a little, holding on the last bit of life she probably had left. But eventually, her surroundings gradually got smaller and smaller, until she could barely see them. Finally, darkness gave her a huge hug and swallowed her up completely.


	2. Feeling Alive Chapter 1

Lionblaze found it hard to concentrate on his warrior duties. Whenever he saw a mouse running near the WindClan border, he thought of Hollyleaf. Earlier, the golden tom and his brother had come back to camp to bring back the news. In Jayfeather's opinion, Hollyleaf couldn't be alive. The whole catastrophe had happened, probably too fast for her to do anything. So the brothers claimed that Hollyleaf had died, hunting mice for her Clan. ThunderClan sat a silent vigil, believing this. But in doubt still overshadowed other feelings in this tom's case.

The golden tabby tom was on a hunting patrol near the WindClan border. He stalked some unknown prey, soon to become freshkill if he was lucky. As he neared, he recognized the long tail and short fur of a mouse. It was oblivious to Lionblaze, and it didn't notice him when he made the killing bite. This mouse reminded the young warrior of lies. This was for Hollyleaf.

"Go on ahead," he muttered to Berrynose, Thornclaw, Icepaw, and Brightheart. Without waiting for their replies, he stalked away. Maybe he needed to hunt alone.

As soon as he was out of sight, Berrynose started complaining. "Who does he think he is, deputy?" the cream colored tom muttered.

Brightheart answered him, but her words were said with more understanding. "Who could blame him?" she murmured, "Hollyleaf was a valuable warrior."

Berrynose was at a loss for words. The black she-cat had always been an annoying furball to him. Calling him arrogant. Berrynose didn't believe that he deserved to be called such a thing.

Lionblaze, meanwhile, had just caught a skinny thrush. It was almost nothing but skin and bones, but he didn't care. He was about to search for some more prey when...

"Hello, Lionblaze," said a sweet voice, strangely familiar.

The tom turned around, slightly embarrassed to see Heathertail. The WindClan she-cat, fortunately, was still in her own territory.

"Yes, Heathertail... what do you want from me?" he growled.

The light brown she-cat was shocked. This was someone who used to be her friend?

"I want to be friends with you," Heathertail stated calmly, not betraying what was going on in her head.

"I'm sorry, I can't forgive you," Lionblaze said, turning his back on her. He left the WindClan cat about to say something, but with no one to listen.

Once he was out of earshot, Lionblaze murmured,"If only I could." But he had moved on, and now he knew how different Clans' friendships were like. Just look at Firestar and Onestar!

Hollyleaf opened her eyes later on and was amazed by what she saw. Flowers, in a variety of colors, bloomed. Their petals were silky soft, and as smooth as a sleek Twoleg pelt. The forest where Hollyleaf found herself was filled with creatures, some scampering around, others searching for food. Every step she took, the black she-cat felt that everything was coming alive.

Suddenly, a lean dark gray cat blocked her way. His blue gaze, although it reminded Hollyleaf of ice, was not hostile. To Hollyleaf, he looked very kind actually. But for StarClan's sake, why was he there? Was this... StarClan!

"Where do you think you're going?" he snarled in not such a kind tone.

"Who are you?" the young warrior retorted angrily, slightly dazed. She backed away.

The tom sighed. He didn't mean any harm.

"I'm sorry," he murmured,"let's start over."

"I'm Hollyleaf," meowed the she-cat,"and I'm wondering where I am."

The strange cat sighed yet again. "I think you should follow me."

So what do you think? Please give me a review. Pretty please! It's what keeps me going.


	3. What Once Was, Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hollyleaf hesitated, slightly suspicious. Where was she, and where was this strange wonderland located? This tom was also pretty mysterious, especially how he had appeared, apparently out of nowhere, to block her way. She didn't trust him. Maybe he came from StarClan, but she had never seen his spirit before if he had. The ancestors would at least introduce themselves if the newly deceased cat didn't know them. But this tom... Maybe he was just a friendly kittypet. The ThunderClan cat looked for a believable explanation for his actions. And she didn't find one.

The dark gray tom seemed to sense her doubt.

"Don't worry," he meowed,"I won't bite."

The young warrior still looked unconvinced. Could this cat be from the Place of No Stars, where no rules existed and cats were wild in their afterlife?

But then a ginger she-cat appeared. She had golden spots on her fur, the color of the shining sun in the sky. The she-cat licked the tom's ear affectionately. She smelled slightly of milk, a queen perhaps. Hollyleaf opened her mouth to find out more from where all these cats were coming from.

"This is my mate, Russetflower," the unknown cat explained before Hollyleaf even knew what question to ask ,"she's expecting my kits."

Hollyleaf was relieved. She reassured herself that all was going to be all right. These cats would not leap into battle just after introducing themselves. Or would they... But if they would, Hollyleaf decided, they were mousebrains. And besides, this tom had a mate expecting kits. What harm could the rogues really do? She followed the rogues to what could only be their camp.

Past the forest full of plants, a moor loomed before her. It stretched for seemingly forever, like the time between Star's birth and the world which the black she-cat faced currently. And the rogues were surprisingly fast, even Russetflower outpacing her. Hollyleaf tried to keep up with them as well as she could. Yet she found herself panting, trying to catch her breath. Could the cats attack now? But then again, a part of Hollyleaf told her that she was the mouse brain if she thought that.

The moor reminded Hollyleaf of her heritage. That WindClan blood was pulsing through her body, alive or not. And surprisingly, it reminded her of Crowfeather and how he really must have loved Leafpool for her to be in her current situation. Crowfeather, who was probably sprinting after rabbits as the sun rose to the highest point in the sky. Hollyleaf guessed that he would not even acknowledge her, cold and seemingly unfeeling.

Like the secrets that were not secrets, Hollyleaf found the moors unfamiliar and her family distant. She felt like a fish out of water, preferring a covered forest with shade. How was hunting possible here if the prey could see you, and let alone smell you? The hunter's scent would be blown in the prey's direction by the mischievous wind, hoping to cause trouble. But besides, Hollyleaf reminded herself, she wasn't here to hunt.

Eventually, the three cats came to a grassy meadow. Tall grass covered the land, fresh and green. The black she-cat felt dew on her paws, and she rather liked the sensation. This was a comfort to her, with all the danger she would face if she returned to her old home. Flowers stretched to feel the impact of the sun. Hollyleaf, for the first time in days, smiled.

"I see that you are admiring this place," Russetflower meowed,"exactly why we have chosen it for our camp." The queen sounded like she really enjoyed living here, and maybe it would make giving birth to kits a little easier.

Hollyleaf nodded.

"Well, don't just stand here like you can't talk," continued the she-cat,"I'm sure my dear would like to talk to you."

Hollyleaf sighed. "All right." During this time, she had lost track of where the tom was. She hoped he was right where he was before, and that she wouldn't have to find him.

The tom signaled with his tail, and Hollyleaf reluctantly followed him to what appeared to be his den. She saw that it was a gray cave of stone, with a nest in the center, and moss growing near the corners.

"You are Hollyleaf, I presume?" he asked politely. Hollyleaf was a little annoyed at his tone. _Get on with it already! she thought. _

Instead of sharing her thoughts out loud, she nodded, careful not to give away too many details.

"Well, I'm Jaypelt."

Hollyleaf opened her mouth wide in shock. Was this an exiled Clan warrior that she didn't know about? He could have been a murderer, like Tigerstar and Blackfoot. She closed it again, suddenly growing a little hot. But some words did escape her.

"You're not a Clan cat..."

Jaypelt seemed to understand. Traces of a smile appeared on his lips. "I think you're the right cat that I can talk to. Would you mind listening?" He did not answer her question.

The black she-cat shrugged innocently, or at least it looked like it to Jaypelt.

"I'm not a Clan cat, true, but one of my ancestors was one. For some unknown deed that she wasn't responsible for, the Clans chased her away. Her mate came with her and together, they discovered territory which the starving Clans could only dream of."

Hollyleaf showed that she was still listening.

"Now, the cats believe that she's in StarClan, but I ain't believing that kit story. Why would she be in the land of the stars if they chased her out? This puzzles me, but then again... how could I affect the fate of a cat long before me?"

Hollyleaf did not know how to interpret this. Instead, she looked back at the rest of the camp. She could smell catmint growing nearby, although it was a little far away. It was tempting, but she just couldn't taste it again. There were also brambles and thorns, and a barrier to keep off invaders. But a badger, apparently could still rip through it. Huge claw marks and holes that could not be fixed proved that.

Suddenly, she was a little curious. She looked back at the gray tom.

"Does this have something to do with why I'm here?" she asked. "I thought I was in the tunnels before, and all of the exits were blocked."

"My great great grandmother escaped from the tunnels near what is now the WindClan border," Jaypelt murmured, "but that's a story for another day."


	4. Motherly Concern, Chapter 3

Surprise, surprise! This chapter, although a little short, is from Leafpool's POV!

As you might know, reviews are this story's life. Thanks to SilverWolf716, Jasmine Wanderer, Tallstar07, XXXXCinderheartXXXX, Silverpearl2, and Rainleaf37 for reviewing! Hope you like this chapter :)

Light shone into the den. Leafpool rose, her light brown fur ruffled from sleep. The former medicine cat smoothed her fur down, hoping nobody would notice the effort it took. That being done, Leafpool decided to complete what she had always completed ever since she first became a medicine cat apprentice. She padded over to the place in the den where the herbs usually lay. She checked to make sure they were still intact, not ruined by kits who had recently found the den, uninvited. Or at least, she tried to.

The herbs were gone, even the familiar cracks in the den where they were usually placed. The pool of water and some moss growing on rocks were also nowhere to be found. Instead of two nests, rather neat in appearance, there were many more than that. Leafpool panicked slightly. Surely cats might have gotten sick while night ruled the world with a firm hand.

Eventually, the brown tabby remembered. Ashfur was dead, and her daughter was missing after the Gathering. Leafpool had stepped down from her medicine cat office and vowed to live the life of an ordinary warrior. Ever since, nearly every cat shunned her, even her own children. Only a certain tortoiseshell she-cat was left in the great circleof friends that Leafpool had once called her own.

"Sorreltail?" she called. The former medicine cat was in the warriors' den now.

There was no answer. Cats slept on, oblivious to the fact that Leafpool was there or not caring. Leafpool realized that her best friend was on the dawn patrol. Brambleclaw had announced it sometime before nightfall. But Lionblaze, who also belonged on that patrol, was still in the den. He crouched in his nest, awake but looking a little depressed.

"Is anything wrong?" Leafpool asked, with motherly concern. Her son ignored her, his golden amber eyes fixed on his paws. Berrynose, whose nest was next to his, however didn't.

"I think there is," he meowed,"he probably woke up on the wrong side of the nest and missed the dawn patrol!" He said this in a slightly irritated tone, teasing his younger Clanmate. Troublesome cat.

"Yeah, right,"Lionblaze growled, probably twice as irritated as the cream colored tom.

Then he stomped away, leaving Berrynose expecting a fight, fur bristling, with none coming. Leafpool sighed. The golden tabby was not usually this easily angered. Maybe something was really wrong. It's just that Lionblaze, a rather secretive cat, wouldn't explain it!

Berrynose muttered something to himself, which to Leafpool was inaudible.

"Should I get Lionblaze some poppy seeds to calm him down?" she questioned, aware that her words had probably nothing to do with what the young tom was thinking.

The cream warrior nodded and started laughing. Leafpool thought of her daughter and knew that she was living a nightmare.


	5. Someone New, Chapter 4

Author's Note: Honoring the victims of 9/11 10 years ago. Let's hope this never happens again in the near future. We should remember this day forever, in my opinion.

Some days later, Hollyleaf was very energetic. Her paws itched to get up and do something useful. Maybe it was that mouse she ate, bigger and slower than any prey in ThunderClan's forest. Or did Russetflower and Jaypelt feed her some herbs in her sleep, some herbs she had never heard about? They might have caused this unusual feeling. Either way, she couldn't sit still. She wanted to hunt, watching her well fed Clan with pride. She wanted to wander the forest, her eyes lighting up when she spotted the herbs that Leafpool desperately needed. And most of all, Hollyleaf wanted to go home.

Russetflower and her mate were very friendly cats. They tried their best to be welcoming, and didn't mind if Hollyleaf spent long, restless nights in their camp. The ginger she-cat especially was a little shocked when Hollyleaf didn't seem grateful. Well, she was grateful, but she was afraid to show it to cats who were so different from her. And that didn't change the way things were for Hollyleaf very much. Her clan, as she knew it, was still gone.

In their place were cowards, who stayed as far away from Hollyleaf as possible the time she was with them after Leafpool's secret was revealed. Why? The reasons were endless. Maybe they thought Hollyleaf was going to announce THEIR own secrets to the entire world. Perhaps they avoided her because she was very different from them, yet not so different at all. Also, one of them could have seen Ashfur in their dreams. It was a possibility. Knowing the gray tom, Hollyleaf suspected that he would tell the truth. He was not afraid to say what he wanted, which ultimately led to his demise at a certain she-cat's claws. In other words, for Hollyleaf... going back to the world she longed for was impossible. There was nothing left.

Yet the black she-cat had known a way to return, just in case she ever needed to. One day, she approached Jaypelt, who was sorting some herbs. The dark gray tom looked up when he saw her.

"What is it?" he asked, rather impatiently. Organizing herbs into their respective piles was something he didn't like doing, Hollyleaf guessed.

The black she-cat repeated the question she had asked earlier. The tom refused to explain, no matter how much Hollyleaf begged. She was rather curious about this whole mess, wondering if Jaypelt could help her with her powers. Maybe he would keep Sol's promise, which that fox hearted loner had forgotten. She even decided to act as a medicine cat, using the skills Leafpool had passed on to her in her early apprentice days. Of course, the tom, fiercely stubborn and independent, declined her offer.

The young warrior rephrased her question lots of times, but with no success. Jaypelt seemed to know what she was doing. Or was it Russetflower whispering all about it to him? Hollyleaf had no idea. She eventually decided that she was over thinking the solution to her problem. She simply padded up to Jaypelt and asked him if he knew what direction the ThunderClan territory was in. The rogue answered in the negative. So Hollyleaf stayed where she was, in the camp.

At first, she thought that the cats would attack her in her sleep. Maybe not Russetflower, but Jaypelt could possibly be hiding something from her. Yet Russetflower and her mate were far from hostile, she later realized. They were rather eager to help her, even if they didn't truly know what her problem was. In Hollyleaf's opinion, this made the idea of living with rogues temporarily easier to bear. She secretly detested rogues. She scorned those to whom the warrior code was just nonsense told to kits to make them behave.

But these two cats had warrior names, although they didn't seem to think StarClan was real. Was there a leader in their midst? Or was there a Clan, where cats like Mothwing hid their real beliefs from those who cared about them most? But these cats seemed to be alone. Again, Hollyleaf was being rather nosy, she couldn't quit asking them questions. But she just couldn't help it. The black she-cat promised herself that her questions would be answered sometime in the near future.

However, another cat disagreed. He was not bound to the warrior code like a kit to its mother. He didn't mind Jaypelt and Russetflower. This cat thought that Hollyleaf's actions were rather suspicious, and was not afraid to show it. He was a cat of little words, but when he spoke his words were usually pessimistic. He didn't seem to be aware of how his sarcasm, used often, hurt some other cats. This cat was Russetflower's nephew, and he had a rebellious spirit. He was once kicked out of his Twolegs' house, a former kittypet. Having no other place to go and protesting fiercely, he sought shelter with the ginger she cat... and therefore, her mate.

Sometimes Hollyleaf thought that this cat, Flametooth, was turning the two rogues against her. One day...

"Look at the way she stares at you, with her green eyes... some evil glint in them," Hollyleaf had overheard. "Are you sure that there are not some of her precious warriors, planning to ambush us?"

Jaypelt had simply shrugged, and Hollyleaf had moved away from Russetflower's relative. She didn't hear what he replied, thinking that she was about to be discovered. Flametooth, after all, had the eyes of an eagle. He had looked her way a couple of times. Better to be safe than sorry.

The young warrior tried not to let this kittypet's hostile words affect her. Some of her actions could be classified as evil. That would be how she told the clan who she really was, and how a certain gray tom's head happened to be bobbing in the river, his eyes empty of life. In Hollyleaf's defense, she had worshipped the warrior code. What Leafpool had done was not right, and Ashfur would probably get exiled anyway. Exile was worse than death, in Hollyleaf's opinion, not being able to live with your loved ones. But her situation, thought Hollyleaf, was even worse than death.


	6. Unknown Memories, Chapter 5

Thanks to all of you who reviewed! Maybe not a lot, but I'm working on it.

Lionblaze stomped into camp. This hunting expedition was pretty much a failure. A mouse practically jumped into his paws, and yet he couldn't make a killing bite or snap its fragile neck. A thrush got away when a snapped twig alerted it of the golden tabby tom's presence. Lionblaze couldn't run fast enough to catch a rabbit which streaked past, apparently unaware that the warrior was even there. For the numerous opportunities for hunting, Lionblaze only had a scrawny vole to show for it.

And there was... Breezepelt. Nightcloud's son, the golden tom's half brother. He was not only a WindClan warrior, but he was also rather hostile, especially to Lionblaze. The black tom was not exactly someone his half brother liked being around. In Lionblaze's opinion, Breezepelt brought only trouble wherever he went. Ever since Hollyleaf's unfortunate speech, he had avoided his kin. And it wasn't like Breezepelt liked seeing Lionblaze at Gatherings, knowing that similar blood was in their veins.

But this wasn't a Gathering. Maybe by chance, the two half brothers happened to see each other that unlucky day. Lionblaze had just spotted the rabbit's fluffy white tail nearby. He sprinted forward, extending his claws to catch it. But the rabbit simply dashed away, too fast for the ThunderClan cat to have a chance to kill it. To add to the disappointment, a dark head popped out of the shadows. The rabbit raced into WindClan territory, well ahead of Lionblaze.

Before Lionblaze really knew what was going on, Breezepelt appeared and pounced on the prey. He dragged it behind him.

"Nice hunting, Lionblaze," he said curtly.

"You were never that great at it yourself," replied Lionblaze calmly.

"Says who? What do you have to say, that vole is just pitiful!"

The young ThunderClan warrior nearly exploded. He was Crowfeather's son as much as Breezepelt was, and he wouldn't give his kin the satisfaction of calling him a worse hunter. Although fighting was his best skill.

He lost control of his actions.

"It is prey still," he snapped. Then he ran away, the vole in his jaws. Breezepelt smiled. This was his half brother!

Now, Lionblaze grabbed a mouse from the freshkill pile. He wolfed it down. Before anyone could comment on his manners, he had already disappeared into the warriors' den.

Icepaw watched him walk by. She had been chatting to her friend Cinderheart, but the sight of Lionblaze had distracted her a little from the conversation.

"Isn't he so handsome?" she mewed.

"If he wouldn't be scaring off all the prey in the forest, and the Clan cats as well..." Cinderheart growled,"I wouldn't mind him." The gray she-cat bit into the thrush lying before her.

"You don't understand, Cinderheart," the white she-cat murmured.

"How do you know?" the young warrior snapped.

"You've never been in love, and never had a crush. You focus so much on your warrior duties, too much to care about another cat."

Cinderheart was rather shocked, and there was a strange feeling inside her. She remembered that she had experienced this before sometime, but she just couldn't put her paw on when.

"How do you know?" she repeated. Then she stalked away from her friend. Before the argument, Hollyleaf should have been in Icepaw's place. The black she-cat could understand so much more than this young, carefree apprentice. Cinderheart

had even considered telling her about the thoughts of badgers that bothered her. But that was then. And this was now. There was nobody to talk to, and Hollyleaf's nest was empty. Soon, another warrior would take her place. But that would be who?

The gray she-cat headed for the warriors' den. It was fairly quiet in there. Maybe she could deal with her anger in there, with nobody to listen and disapprove. She limped a little, until she was inside. Cinderheart opened her mouth to yowl something, but a pair of amber eyes made her stop.

"Hello, Cinderheart." This warrior was just as unhappy as she was. The young cat's heart, surprisingly, skipped a beat.


	7. Soon to Leave, Chapter 6

Lionblaze thought he was alone. He believed that he would be able to calm himself down if he stayed out of his Clanmates' sight for a while. Some young warriors, like Mousewhisker besides, were rather nosy. He didn't want those cats in the way, so avoiding them seemed like the safest choice so far. Now, the golden tabby sat in the empty warriors den, looking rather gloomily at the entrance. What if some cat came back from the latest patrol? They probably wouldn't understand the tension between him and the kin he was unhappy to call his own.

Hours passed, and the sun rose higher into the sky. There was no sign of Mousewhisker, or his pesky brother Berrynose. Lionblaze guessed that Mousewhisker was too busy talking to his close friend Poppyfrost. As for the cream tom, he was probably strutting around Clan territory, head held high. Whatever the reason for their absense was, Lionblaze was happy. Here, he could not be disturbed.

Lionblaze wasn't sure on what to do. He refused, however, to let Breezepelt's hateful comments hurt more than they already did. It was hard, true, but Lionblaze was determined to ignore that pain in the neck. Breezepelt was his half brother, but he could not stop him. The gray tom was out of his mind, after Crowfeather's treachery to his family was revealed. And besides, ThunderClan's youngest warrior was given the power of the stars in his paws, or so they said. Did Breezepelt really have the potential to destroy StarClan itself?

Maybe Breezepelt was working with Tigerstar, Lionblaze would never know for sure. It was only Jayfeather who could possibly do that. His brother, although blind, appeared to see into people's minds. Lionblaze wondered what his thoughts looked like, and what they felt like if another cat knew what they were. The golden tabby realized that he was probably taking things too seriously. Surely Breezepelt wouldn't be so mouse brained.

The web of lies spun had taken a toll many cats. The dark gray warrior, however, was not an exception. Lionblaze, at a Gathering, had overheard a conversation featuring Harespring. The brown WindClan cat loved to talk about others' problems, as if he didn't have any himself. His best friend was Weaselfur, a talkative tom who wasn't afraid to express his growing dislike of ThunderClan. Every battle fought, Weaselfur would complain about it in front of the other three Clans.

One day, Harespring, for once, thought before he said something. Weaselfur waited a while for his answer, but he never gave it.

"Harespring," Weaselfur snapped,"are you mute?"

The brown and white tom shook his head, unusually quiet.

"Well, Harespring? Anything you would like to tell me?"

Harespring sighed. "I'm really wondering how Breezepelt's getting on. Rumor has it that the poor tom seemed to pay a lot of attention to a certain ThunderClan she-cat. He could not console himself when she turned out to be his half sister, and he swore to hate her forever."

The WindClan cat really looked concerned, but his friend didn't seem to care much about his Clanmate. Weaselfur laughed a harsh cold laugh. He didn't seem so sympathetic at all.

"I think I would feel the same way if my father ran off with one of those ThunderClan she-cats," he replied. The comment was probably meant to be snide, as if ThunderClan cats really weren't worth it. It really stung, as one of those she-cats was the golden tabby's true mother. Lionblaze supposed that he could say the same about WindClan cats.

He came back to the real world when he heard pawsteps. The young warrior tried his best to look normal, like nothing was wrong and he had never seen his half brother before.

There came Cinderheart, dragging her tail behind her angrily, limping slightly, face a little shocked to see who was in the den.

"Hello..." Lionblaze meant to sound friendly, but he trailed off sadly.

"Greetings," Cinderheart answered, calm and mature for her age.

Lionblaze realized. He had spent too much time thinking about what he couldn't have, when what he needed was right in front of him. The tom sighed, thinking about what to tell Cinderheart.

Russetflower went to see Hollyleaf one day. The black she-cat had dozed off, curled up in a nest. The nest was rather cozy, but the young warrior missed her old moss and bracken. But in sleep, Hollyleaf didn't seem to mind and she certainly didn't complain to Jaypelt. Her sleep was dreamless, reminding Hollyleaf even more of who she was when she was awake. _Was StarClan real? Or are these rogues right? _Hollyleaf didn't want to think about it, but she wanted to know. Was StarClan watching over her, or did they not walk in skies like this?

The ginger queen's voice snapped Hollyleaf out of her thoughts.

"Would you like to join our group?" she asked,"it's pretty lively, I think."

"I don't know," the ThunderClan cat answered,"but let me tell you a story."

Hollyleaf wouldn't usually stoop to the level of such a cat, she would rather be helping her Clan. But her Clan was gone, she reminded herself. Gone without her. She hesitated slightly, she had always left storytelling for the elders.

Russetflower didn't seem to notice Hollyleaf's hesitation. She moved a little closer, moving her head so she could hear a little better.

"I was born a Clan cat, and I grew up to be a Clan cat. I hunted and fought for my Clan." Hollyleaf began, in such a way she thought that even a kit would not be entertained by her story. Russetflower didn't seem to mind, but she could have just been acting politely.

"But one day, I discovered something I should have never known. Perhaps it was instinct, or perhaps not, but I had the sudden urge to reveal this secret. And now, because of this... the Clan's world is as good as inaccessible to me. I ran through tunnels, hoping to escape from my life. In a way I'm not even sure of, I got away when the tunnels collapsed on me. I found myself here that morning. Thank you for all you've done for me, and I'd stay if I had to."

"So you can't stay?" Russetflower asked, a little confused.

"Well, I can," the black warrior replied,"but I have very important things to do."

"I'm sorry, but those would be?" the ginger she-cat meowed.

"I've always had many questions about the world around me, and I'll be off sometime to find the answers to them."

There was a sad expression on Russetflower's face. In the past moons, Hollyleaf had grown to become close friends with the she-cat. Russetflower had given birth to three healthy kits, and she had even named the most adventurous one Hollykit.

"Will you stay, since you probably still can?"

"I'm not sure, Russetflower," murmured Hollyleaf, "I don't think I'm even sure about anything anymore."


	8. Cannot be Returned, Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** I thought this title was original... but I guess not. Thanks to all reviewers and I really want you to know that I try to update as much as I can. Right now, I just got Crookedstar's Promise (I know, it came out a long time ago). So please don't give me suggestions that have any spoilers that have anything to do with that book. Although I'd rather like including Mapleshade in the next chapter... but please, I'll take suggestions, and of course... reviews, flames or not!

Heathertail had just returned from the dawn patrol. There was no sign of ShadowClan warriors past their rather stinky scent markers that made the she-cat want to vomit. She really hoped they would take better care of themselves some day. _Oops._ She gently scolded herself. Heathertail did have friends in ShadowClan, the dark hearted Clan of the lake. One of them was Dawnpaw, an enthusiastic young she-cat who loved to hunt. Yet there was something peculiar in her obsession with light brown tabby didn't trust the apprentice much, but she supposed that this friend was better than nothing.

The young WindClan warrior padded over to the freshkill pile. Her stomach making rather embarrassing growling noises, she longed for food. Luckily, there was some there. There were mostly voles, unusually thin for the time. There was a rather small rabbit that Whitetail had recently dropped off. Onestar was biting into a thrush, smiling at his warrior's catch. And there was one gigantic rabbit that a certain black warrior had dragged into camp. He grinned at Heathertail and added what he caught to the freshkill pile.

Heathertail, not wanting to be greedy, picked out a vole. She savored the taste of prey on her tongue, although it was not much. Then she was hungry once more, as if she had eaten nothing. Controlling herself, Heathertail picked up the rabbit and decided to carry it to the elders.

"Hey, Heathertail!" a voice made her stop dead in her tracks. _Breezepelt. What does he want with me this time?_

"Why, hello Breezepelt!" she exclaimed, smiling a smile that was obviously fake. Breezepelt didn't seem to notice. The normally grumpy son of Crowfeather's appeared to be genuinely happy to see her.

"Would you like to share?" the tom asked, in such a tone that suggested he didn't really like sharing but was willing to make an exception this time. He dropped a squirrel at her paws.

"All right," the light brown she-cat sighed. "But I think the elders will send me to StarClan if I don't bring them some freshkill."

The WindClan warrior laughed. "We all know Webfoot!"

Heathertail nodded.

"I'll do you a favor," meowed Breezepelt shyly,"and carry that rabbit there for you."

"I can do it myself," the tabby snapped,"but you can go."

When Breezepelt had returned, Heathertail had just bitten into the squirrel. He joined her beside the prey.

"That big rabbit ran away from a ThunderClan warrior," the black tom muttered through a mouthful of squirrel fur,"everyone knows they can't hunt."

"Nice," said Heathertail sarcastically, not sure if she would have said that if she was in the ThunderClan cat's place. "Which warrior would that be?"

"The fox heart they call Lionblaze," hissed Breezepelt. "He relies on Twoleg food to feed his Clan, I think."

Heathertail knew it was not her place to feel sorry for the golden brown tom. But she couldn't stop herself. That tom could be hostile to her if he wanted to. Yet she swore to never act that way to him. Heathertail couldn't think clearly. Emotions that couldn't be named radiated off of her in waves.

"Breezepelt, I won't speak to you again unless you learn to control your words!" Before she knew what she had done, she stalked away.

"But Heathertail... I think I like you!" Breezepelt called after her. This did not stop Heathertail. Onestar cast a sympathetic look in her direction. "ThunderClan friends, Breezepelt, I think she has ThunderClan friends." And he couldn't be more right.

So, any guesses on who that "certain black warrior" might happen to be?


	9. Surprise of the Water, Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Sorry if I haven't updated in a long time. Here's what school can do to you, in case you were wondering what happened to me...**

"Hey, Lionblaze!" Icepaw called happily,"Graystripe told me that we're going on a border patrol!"

The golden tabby tom sighed grumpily. Why did Icepaw have to be so excited all of the time? She was so positive about everything that it wasn't even funny anymore!

The white she-cat moved closer to him, and repeated what she had said. She liked when the young warrior looked at her; it felt good when she knew that she had crossed his mind, even if it was for only a second.

"Thank you, I know," Lionblaze hissed. Her attitude was so annoying, why couldn't she just see that? He had been through so much pain, and she... just couldn't understand.

Icepaw herself sighed after the comment. It stung a little, she didn't like it when others took out their anger on her. She liked it when he thought of her, but not in this way. The young she-cat longed for something more. If only he could see her the way she saw him.

Thornclaw approached the two cats.

"We don't have all day," he pointed out.

Lionblaze dipped his head to the older warrior and padded over to join Graystripe outside of camp. Thornclaw, slightly irritated and very impatient, followed him. Icepaw brought up the rear.

Foxpaw was just returning from a hunting patrol consisting of Hazeltail, Brackenfur, Sorreltail, and Birchfall. He briefly touched noses with his sister.

"How are you?" he asked through a mouthful of feathers. He had caught a thrush.

"I'm fine," she replied,"border patrol to the RiverClan border."

The dark ginger tom smiled. "That's great."

"See you around later," Icepaw mewed and walked away.

The RiverClan border was far from camp, for ThunderClan's convenience. However, the young warrior's paws ached by the time they reached the lake.

"Everything seems fine," Graystripe meowed.

"The fox scent around here is stale, the animals are probably in ShadowClan by now," Thornclaw agreed.

Lionblaze was not so sure. This boundary reeked of fish, unnaturally. Surely fish weren't getting washed up on shore.

Lionblaze nodded, he was too inexperienced and he would embarrass himself if he told the patrol. He couldn't give Icepaw a reason to bug him even further.

"Let's go," Graystripe said after a while.

Icepaw reluctantly followed him. Lionblaze did the same, looking back to the border once in a while.

"Attack!" there was a screech coming from somewhere around the lake. The water splashed, and there were loud pawsteps. Water droplets fell down to the grass, as if an animal had just shaken them from its fur.

Before Lionblaze could figure out what was going on, teeth met in his scruff. He shook his attacker off and twisted around. He came face to face with Beechfur.

"We meet again, half clan," the tom spat in his face.

The golden tabby tom's fury drove him on. He clawed fiercely at the RiverClan cat. Another RiverClan warrior joined him, and bit the ThunderClan cat's tail. It didn't hurt for Lionblaze of course, but Icepaw didn't know that.

Not thinking twice, she leaped on Beechfur. Soon, she was buried under RiverClan cats, all at least twice her size. They used their weight to their advantage. RiverClan must have thought her an easier target than Lionblaze. They were probably right, and Icepaw hated them even more for it.

Lionblaze tried to reach her, but more RiverClan warriors kept on coming. He lost track of where Graystripe and Thornclaw were. Even so, they were gravely outnumbered. Did Leopardstar send all of her Clan here?

A heavy weight crashed into the unsuspecting tom. Lionblaze looked around. There was no cat fighting him, just brawls going on around him. Yet some cat, or something... it was dragging him down.

A ginger and white she-cat, barely visible, encouraged Beechfur.

"You can do it," she whispered. "You can be the great warrior RiverClan never had."

Her scent was not familiar. It suddenly struck Lionblaze, this she-cat was not alive. Yet no StarClan cat in their right mind would say something like that about the living clans. Who was this she-cat, and how did she come here?

Icepaw's white pelt eventually disappeared from view. Forgetting her annoying actions, Lionblaze snarled at the rival Clan. His fur bristled. _Hollyleaf, wherever you are now, help bring her back to camp safe._


	10. Left Behind, Chapter 9

This chapter's a little short, but I promise the next one will be longer! I'm working on Brambleclaw's POV, set to be updated sometime later. Sure, he's not my favorite character, but bear with me. Here is another chapter of Hollyleaf's life after the Clans. Remember, I do not own any of the Clan characters. Erin Hunter does.

The former ThunderClan warrior, meanwhile, was busy hunting. Or at least, she thought she was hunting. Her stay with Russetflower and her family was brief. Then Hollyleaf, not wanting to offend the queen's nephew more than he already was offended, had left her new friends behind. Of course, they were sorry to let her go. Even Jaypelt, whose actions suggested that he disliked unknown cats, tried to detain her. He offered her a position of what would be deputy in a Clan, but this was no Clan. It was like one, and it wasn't at the same time.

Despite Jaypelt's efforts, there was nothing he could do to stop the black she-cat. Whenever she set her mind to do something, she had to do it. It was what the warrior code had taught the Clans. However, she reminded herself, the warrior code had been broken numerous times. Yet Hollyleaf still considered it reliable, and she applied the rules to some of her new life as a loner. She had long since given up on her old Clanmates, and she had started a new life.

There was a warrior code, followed by cats in the world of the lake territories, and the warrior code did not exist at the same time. Hollyleaf remembered that not all cats were bound to the code like a rock to the river floor, believable or not. Once, she had taken shelter in a Twoleg nest she had thought to be abandoned. Ambushed in her sleep, she had woken up to the feeling of blood on her ears. A brown tabby kittypet had stood over her, fur bristling, ready to attack once more.

Hollyleaf had barely gotten away with her pelt intact. She had torn herself from the mysterious kittypet and rushed away.

Behind her, she heard screams of,"This won't be the last you see of Fletcher!"

A dog's bark signified that a Twoleg had arrived at the scene, curious and wondering where all of the yowls were coming from.

To Hollyleaf, this was impossible. Kittypets couldn't fight like Clan cats could. Those cats were weaklings, wandering into Clan territory once in a while. They would beg the medicine cats to take care of them, to feed them their precious Twoleg food, and to make sure they were safe. Firestar, being a former kittypet himself, never hesitated to let them in. But once again, life as Hollyleaf knew it was wrong. She wasn't even sure what was right anymore. Confused and irritated, she looked for food.

Hollyleaf watched the ground from behind the bushes, the only place where there was shadow in this sunny new world. So far, Hollyleaf had been hunting for nearly half of the day, and she had still not caught anything. Words rang in the she-cat's ears, clear and smooth. Burdening and guilty.

"You will always be welcome here," Russetflower had said.

A ginger tom had interrupted. "Not always," he had growled.

Maybe the tom was right. Hollyleaf no longer belonged in her Clan, and she had made her choice. Wait, did she even belong anywhere anymore? She doubted it.

According to the black she-cat, this was her destiny. It was her calling. She would have to live with it, in a world where what she thought was harmless couldn't be more dangerous.


	11. If it Wasn't Enough, Chapter 10

Brambleclaw surveyed the camp from outside the warriors den. The cliffs protecting ThunderClan's home were showing no signs of wear, and the wall that drove away invaders was all patched up. Last moon, there had been a blizzard. It had blown all of the twigs and bracken away, leaving the suffering Clan with nothing. Sickness had raged through the camp, Jayfeather doing his best to make sure everyone had survived. The dark tabby gave a silent thanks to StarClan that the unfortunate luck did not continue.

Hazeltail had recently brought back some prey from a hunting patrol she had led. It was her first time at the head of such a patrol, and she was young. But Brambleclaw did not discourage her. He calmly made sure that she was not picked on by Birchfall, who wanted to lead a patrol as well. The deputy had vowed not to follow in his father's footsteps, and he was going to keep that promise. Tigerstar, if he was alive, would have mercilessly murdered Hazeltail by now.

For a clan requiring time to heal, prey was just what they needed. Birchfall, meanwhile, had padded off to the nursery, probably to visit his mate. He carried a sparrow in his strong jaws. Brambleclaw, for the first time in moons, smiled. According to Jayfeather, Whitewing would have her kits in two moons.

Firestar, however, was still in his den. For days, he had refused to come out of his den. Some believed that he was sick with greencough. Others reported that he had received a prophecy he had to ponder about. Either way, Brambleclaw had temporarily replaced the fiery tom as leader. He was deputy, wasn't he? In a way, it was right. In another way, it really wasn't. Firestar didn't look like he was going to lose a life anytime soon. He was still strong, just like in the old days. The dark brown tom believed in him, even if others had long given up.

Just then, a dark ginger head popped out of the warriors' den. It was, you guessed it, Squirrelflight. She passed by Brambleclaw, coolly, without daring to bestow a glance in his direction. It was as if he didn't even exist. Squirrelflight continued, she was eventually sharing tongues with Spiderleg.

Brambleclaw felt pain in his heart. Something like jealousy was also there. Once again, the kits came to his mind. If only he could have kits with his mate, real kits. But Squirrelflight had lied. Brambleclaw, who believed honesty was the best policy, couldn't remember how he had even fallen in love with her. Maybe it would have been better just to let Ashfur have her. Yet a part of Brambleclaw wasn't about to let her go either.

Spiderleg didn't suspect a thing. After yet another argument with Daisy, the poor tom had nobody to talk to. Squirrelflight was the only one around, and he was in no way going to talk to Brambleclaw! The deputy had condemned him to a moon of apprentice service, checking the elders for ticks. He didn't like it, even one bit!

"So, how's Daisy?" Firestar's daughter asked.

"Fine," Spiderleg replied gloomily. "Rosekit and Toadkit can't stop following me around!"

Squirrelflight nodded in understanding. "They'll make great apprentices, and then warriors."

A flash of pain flashed in the dark tom's expression. Squirrelflight, although she didn't notice Brambleclaw or pretended to ignore him, noticed this. She quickly changed the subject. Hadn't Spiderleg been through enough? She was sure happy she didn't have to relive her apprentice life again, complete with the chores!

Brambleclaw stared suspiciously at them, he was too far away to hear the conversation. This couldn't be his mate talking, it couldn't be!

As if what he was already going through was not enough, Thornclaw appeared.

"RiverClan are invading the east side of the territory!" he exclaimed, after catching his breath. He seemed to have run a long way. The deputy remembered that the RiverClan border was farthest from the camp.

Cloudtail, who was standing next to him, did not seem too happy.

"And you came here?" the longhaired white tom snapped,"an apprentice job, if you ask me."

Brambleclaw didn't try to hide his irritation with both Squirrelflight and her kin.

"Very well," said Brambleclaw moodily. "I will take a patrol to help you fight them off."


	12. The Battle, Chapter 11

Here comes the long chapter! Or at least, I think it's pretty long. Your opinion?

Not surprisingly, Cloudtail was chosen. The tracker was rather excited about the way everything was turning out, even if he didn't show it with his serious air and sarcastic comments. Brambleclaw, annoyed and exhausted as he was, didn't walk any farther than he had to. Luckily, Sandstorm came up to the deputy just as news had come to him. After having overheard all, Sandstorm stubbornly decided to come along. Maybe she needed to stretch her paws. Even Berrynose, arrogant as he was, just couldn't keep himself from asking to come. Brambleclaw, although he was faintly annoyed by his former apprentice, smiled.

A ginger figure trotted up to the growing group of cats. The dark brown tabby tom almost jumped out of his own fur, but stopped himself. This was no fox planning to attack camp when Brambleclaw's back was turned. It was Foxpaw, who had grown quite a lot. Yet he was still too small to cause any damage like a fox if he ever became traitorous. Not that he ever would. In Brambleclaw's opinion, the young apprentice seemed very devoted to his Clan.

"May I come?" he asked, not too sure why all of the cats were gathered there but thinking it was some kind of large patrol. He liked all patrols, no matter how big or small. As long as he didn't have to go on a patrol with Hazeltail, who was so boring!

An older warrior stalked up to the apprentice.

"I told you, Foxpaw, you just got back from the hunting patrol!" Dustpelt growled.

"That was a long time ago, and I'm not tired!" retorted the young tom hotly.

"I think you should rest, Foxpaw, and I'm sure you wouldn't mind guarding the camp."

The ginger apprentice shook his head. "It's either this patrol or nothing, Dustpelt. I want to help the Clan. And besides, aren't there many able warriors in camp already? There'll never be anything wrong here, or the warriors'll handle it. Besides, RiverClan wouldn't be as fox-hearted as to attack anyway."

Berrynose looked a little confused. "Sure, they've already invaded."

The deputy ignored him, chuckling. "You can come, Foxpaw. Thornclaw mentioned that we needed more paws."

Dustpelt sighed and rolled his eyes. "Don't blame me if you fall asleep on the battlefield, son."

Foxpaw turned away, rather rudely, but at least Brambleclaw could understand him. Young apprentices never really listened much.

Another ginger animal approached, too far away for Brambleclaw to determine what it was, cat or fox. Brambleclaw sincerely hoped that it was not the latter, although you could never be sure.

"Hello," said the animal, who upon closer inspection was a little taller than Foxpaw. It was a cat, with striking green eyes that resembled Hollyleaf's. The deputy noticed the similarity a long time ago, but the truth was that these two cats were not as closely related as he had thought.

Brambleclaw missed having a daughter, even if it was never really his own. Hollyleaf really believed in the warrior code, unlike the rest of her kin. Or so it seemed. Leafpool had somehow got it into her mind to break the warrior code with Crowfeather, and her sister had to cover it up somehow. Without telling her mate, Squirrelflight had become the "mother" of Leafpool's kits. She had raised Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Hollyleaf as her own. Brambleclaw had believed he was really their father, but really nothing could be further from the truth. He looked at Squirrelflight with a suspicious look on his face. Now he was not going to be such a fool.

"I think we should surprise the RiverClan cats," she said, as though the deputy was not even there. "Maybe split into two patrols or something? Perhaps I'll lead one, and Foxpaw will probably like to go with me. Mousewhisker, Brightheart..."

The dark tabby's fur bristled. This was completely not his plan! Who died and made this she-cat leader? Or deputy, if it made any difference.

Of course, Squirrelflight didn't pay attention to her mate. Any love between them was all in the past. If she had a real mate, he would have to understand her. He would have to stand up for her. So far, Brambleclaw hadn't done anything but stare at her with a hostile look on his face. But maybe she deserved it.

"Not a bad idea," Cloudtail observed,"but last time I checked, there was only one deputy."

"Sorry, Cloudtail," Firestar's daughter murmured. "But cats could be dying now..."

The white tom, prickly as he was, seemed to understand the urgency in her tone and what it meant.

"Maybe we should get moving then."

Brambleclaw knew it was the right thing to do, but his paws were frozen to the ground. Where was Squirrelflight as he had known her, as he had loved her!

"Cinderheart could come as well," he meowed. "ThunderClan, onward!"

Cloudtail nodded, but Squirrelflight still looked unconvinced.

"And Cloudtail will lead the second patrol." Brambleclaw couldn't bear to see the look on the ginger she-cat's face.

The gray tabby she-cat dipped her head and took her place in the rear of the patrol.

Brambleclaw, not too happy about this, tried to remind himself that this was all to protect his Clanmates and the territory they called home.

They walked in the forest, careful to keep their scent away from possible detection. Cloudtail, meanwhile, was tracking the intruders down. He had his nose to the ground, sniffing at something. Eventually, Brambleclaw recognized a pile of bones. They looked like they belonged to some prey which was now long gone. RiverClan scent radiated off of them in waves. Why would these cats steal prey, Brambleclaw had no idea. They had to be pretty dumb, though, if they did.

"The mouse-brains!" Dustpelt exclaimed, clearly thinking a similar thing.

The dark brown tabby tom nodded. "Hopefully they haven't eaten more."

"Well, Brambleclaw, they have," Cloudtail informed him. He was standing next to even more bones, who were covered in the same lingering, fishy scent.

Brambleclaw's head boiled with anger and rage. This was food that ThunderClan desperately needed, especially Firestar. RiverClan would pay for this once he found them!

"The more reason to hurry up," he replied. He picked up his pace. Squirrelflight ran after him, running like the wind. Brightheart and Cloudtail were not far behind, with Foxpaw and Dustpelt at their heels. When Brambleclaw looked back, the latest arrival had already caught up to them. It was Mousewhisker. All of the cats seemed pretty determined, and the ThunderClan deputy was proud of them.

Once they reached a small river, the cats split up into two groups. Brambleclaw took Mousewhisker, Dustpelt, and Foxpaw. Brightheart, Cinderheart, and to Brambleclaw's insistance, Squirrelflight followed Cloudtail. The white warrior waited until the deputy was just a small speck north of them. Then he swerved a little to the WindClan border and followed, hoping to attack from the side. In his past experience, RiverClan seemed more vulnerable from that direction.

Cinderheart and Squirrelflight, surprisingly, had time to chat.

"Why does Brambleclaw have to be such an annoying furball?" Squirrelflight muttered in Cinderheart's ear.

"I have no idea," replied the gray she-cat calmly. "I guess he just woke up on the wrong side of his nest."

"I think you'd better concentrate," Brightheart stated, her one good eye on Cloudtail.

Cinderheart took this as a sign to be quiet, so from then on Squirrelflight had nobody to talk to. She walked on, rather bored. Emotion radiated from her like rays from the hot afternoon sun. Nothing bad could happen, RiverClan cats were pushovers. But when she reached the battle, Squirrelflight wasn't so sure. Graystripe swiped at a black tom she recognized as Reedwhisker. Lionblaze was trying to fend off Mistyfoot and get to Icepaw at once. He, though, was failing. And the sight that most surprised her was the appearance of a dark gray warrior. Crowfeather stared straight at her, not flinching. This frightened her, but she was Leafpool's sister after all. And then she noticed... WindClan was here!


	13. The Memory of the Lake, Chapter 12

Author's Note: This chapter contains a scheming Leopardstar and some violence. Yes, it's the battle chapter you've all been waiting for. I made it a little shorter so you could all bear with it.

"RiverClan and WindClan attack!" yowled Leopardstar, the RiverClan leader.

The cats reluctantly obeyed, but who were they to question their leader? Onestar's fur bristled. "I believe that nobody from WindClan died and made you leader," he replied.

The spotted she-cat just ignored him. WindClan were known for their terrible tempers. And it was nice to infuriate them so they could fight better for her side.

Earlier, Leopardstar had on a determined smile. She was hungry for both some food and some territory. But she knew that ThunderClan was very large, so it also had to have many cats that were in fighting condition. The old leader had limped over to WindClan, where she had offered Onestar some of ThunderClan's territory if he fought with her.

"You can't go, Leopardstar, you have only three lives left!" Mothwing, her medicine cat, had protested.

"No, Mothwing, if I can walk to WindClan, I can fight!"

For a while, the medicine cat and the leader kept on exchanging words. Mothwing was for peace, and she didn't want her old friend Leafpool, now a warrior, to get hurt. But Leopardstar still kept that smile on her face, and as long as she did, she was determined to get all the prey that she wanted.

Brambleclaw let out a battle cry, one loud enough to rival Leopardstar's.

Already, cats had leaped into battle. Dustpelt and Tornear rolled past the deputy, a mass of clawing fur. He had to jump back to stop them from barreling into him. Knowing the older warrior, he would not like help with this battle. The dark brown tabby tom found a worthy opponent in Ashfoot, the WindClan deputy. Ever energetic, the gray she-cat gave him a shower of blows. Frustrated, Brambleclaw scored his claws through her face. It would damage all she was proud of, her beauty and her confidence.

Cinderheart, meanwhile, was locked in battle with a strong she-cat from RiverClan. Before she knew what was going on, the she-cat was in the lake. She was drowning. Reedwhisker, her mate, swam up to her. Gently and carefully, he hauled her away from the water. Cinderheart looked on from where she was, on the ground. The poor cat could die if she was like this too long. And it was all her fault.

"I'll get Mothwing," she volunteered.

"Get Willowshine as well," Ashfoot ordered, Brambleclaw's blood covering her pelt.

"But, she'll attack the camp," Weaselfur whispered in the WindClan deputy's ear.

"No," she replied,"what can one cat possibly do?"

Graystripe looked at her, his eyes filled with what was it... sadness?

Lionblaze hissed as Emberfoot's claws sank into his pelt. Despite all of the pain, the golden tabby's lips were still twisted into a smile. He had the power of StarClan in his paws, what did a simple warrior have to say to that?

He came out of the crowd of cats, not wounded, his pelt unscarred. Heathertail smiled at him, a cold smile. She was still loyal to her Clan, and if that tom had forgotten their friendship... she would fight. Love today was not on her side.

Whatever friendship was between Firestar and Onestar, it was surely a fragile one. It was not constant, like the friendships all of ThunderClan was used to. It changed every second of its life, until it became what it was right now. A heartless friendship, for the friends did not stand up for each other. Then the breeze blew, ruffling the dark tabby's fur, and reminding him of what he had to do.

"Stop!" Brambleclaw yowled because it was all going crazy and vicious and also probably because ThunderClan was steadily losing. He had promised himself to make sure that ThunderClan came out on top, and it didn't seem to be happening. ShadowClan was not a good ally, apparently. The screeching cats grew silent, curiosity getting the better of them.

"We can fight you more if we have to," Brambleclaw continued,"but why have you come?"

Leopardstar turned away, her claws still unsheathed. She did not want to answer. Revealing the purpose of this attack was like making RiverClan weak. And that would not happen when she was around.

"We come for what we require," Onestar said hotly, willing to answer the question with as few words as possible, giving away as little as can be managed. Brambleclaw was not satisfied. Onestar could just say this to Firestar's Clan, the same Firestar who had once been his good friend? That ungrateful leader of WindClan should remember all that ThunderClan has done for him!

"And just wondering," Cloudtail stared him down,"what would that be?"

The lithe brown tabby ignored the white warrior. "That is all I have to explain; perhaps Leopardstar would like to answer." All of the cats looked at the RiverClan leader expectantly.

"That matter is between WindClan and RiverClan alone," she said curtly.

When Brambleclaw found that he couldn't answer, Leopardstar continued. "We've wanted nothing more than some of your territory. Look how well-fed you are. You don't need more than that."

"So?" Cloudtail asked, probably not getting her point. The spotted she-cat thought he was rather greedy.

"I would like to have some of that fresh-kill of yours."

"Never!" Brambleclaw couldn't control himself. He just knew that he would never give up anything to that cat.

"Well, then, RiverClan... attack once more! Remember, ThunderClan, you asked for it."

Lionblaze, meanwhile, looked around for Icepaw. He was shocked when he couldn't find her. Had a rival warrior taken her life?

The cats concerned all realized at once. The Clans were no place for friendship. There had been no friendship at all.

Your guesses? Where could Icepaw be?


	14. Eyes A Deep Moss Green, Chapter 13

Lionblaze sat down in what could have once been the shade of a tree. Now, the branches bare and waving back and forth due to the early winter breeze, which came and went as it pleased...The space looked unbecoming. But for once, the golden tom didn't seem to mind. He lay down lazily, lost in thought. It seemed like a while had passed, but Lionblaze was on no dawn patrol. ThunderClan was still weary from the battle that had almost taken the life of Icepaw, but it was strong. The expert skill of his brother, Jayfeather, had helped most recover. Only Squirrelflight remained, because her old wounds from a previous battle had reopened. But this part was ignored by Lionblaze.

He meditated for a while, not eager to get used to the harsh, but still fairly recent style of his life. Family had meant a lot to him as a kit, an apprentice, and maybe even in his first warrior days. He had loved to stand proudly at a Gathering, knowing he was the son of Brambleclaw, the Clan deputy. But of course, this was too good to be true.

_The next gathering isn't too far off..._the young warrior mused,_ we'll meet again, Breezepelt. You will pay for your lack of sympathy. _Lionblaze smiled, imagining Breezepelt taken away by Twoleg monsters as the old Clan deputy, Graystripe, had been. Luckily, Graystripe had found his way safely back home with Millie. But in Lionblaze's thoughts, Breezepelt would not be so fortunate. Some part of him wanted to stop, what kind of noble warrior would want to wish death on another cat? Yet he couldn't help it.

The golden warrior must have fallen asleep or something, because he was saved from having to think of such things. When his eyes opened later, a cat had pinned him down and was holding on tightly. It was a blue gray she-cat, which reminded him of the description of Bluestar. All right, maybe the leader before Firestar in her youth. Earlier, Lionblaze would have chuckled to himself, but there was no time for that.

The resemblance to Bluestar ended there. The strange she-cat's eyes were a bright, mossy green. Although she did not smell like a Clan cat, her fur was sleek and it shone. Usually, Lionblaze would have muttered a threat to this invader and driven her away. But he thought she was beautiful for a rogue or a loner, simply gorgeous.

The she-cat must have read his mind, because she leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"Care to take a stroll?"

Lionblaze grinned, but somehow stopped himself. "Thank you, but no. Who are you?"

She shook her head. "You are coming with me, it is your StarClan's will and so be it."

His eyes widened. "Star Clan?"

She nodded. "Runningnose is a very special friend of mine."

"Let me up then," Lionblaze meowed. If this cat knew an old medicine cat, what harm could this walk be? The she-cat stepped back, and grudgingly let the tom regain his footing.

She showed him wonders, and led him to a cave just outside the Clan's borders. A group of kits scuffled around inside, with older cats evidently watching.

Her eyes looked into Lionblaze's own. "This can all be yours if you let it."

"Never!" the golden brown tom had never been so angry. He backed away. The cave's entrance was nearby, but he noticed that it was blocked. "What is all this?"

The blue gray she-cat's fangs sank in his spine. She was ruthless.

"Some cats call me Blue. Others call me Belly."

"I don't care!" hissed Lionblaze, struggling to get away.

"Really?" The she-cat bit harder and seemed to enjoy it. "Well, no cat has ever survived denying Bluebelly?" Now, the young warrior was, if there could be something like that, even more desperate.


End file.
